HZMB-link projectHong Kong Zhuhai Macau Bridge link

Hans de Wit & Dirk Jan Peters

Tunnel Engineering Consultants

NL

• HZMB link project summary

• Elements of the work

• Role of TEC

• Transition islands

• Immersed tunnel

Project components

HZMB link project characteristics

• Offshore part 30 km long

• Total investment 38 bn. RMB (app. € 4.5-5 bn.)

• Tunnel + islands app. 6.6 km

• 14 bn. RMB (app. € 1.75-2.1 bn.)

• Start construction: December 2010

• Official opening: October 2018

The larger project

• Pearl River Delta

• Improvement of economic and social

integration between East and West shores

• Connection to main road

network Guangzhou and

Shenzhen

• Total length 50 km

• Investment approx. € 18 bn

The larger project

• Tekst

• Tekst

Zhuhai Link Road

• Tunnel underneath Gongbei

border crossing

• Double Deck

• 3m diameter tubes / freezing

Artificial island Zhuhai/Macau

• 500ha

• For acces and border control procedures

Hong Kong Link Road

• Main link 30 km

Arificial island Hong Kong

Tuen Mun Chek Lap Kok tunnel link

• 5 km length

• Twin bored tunnel 17,6m

diameter

• Land reclamation 16 ha

Main bridge link

• 25 km length

• Cable stayed over secundary shipping lanes

• Connecting bridges (span 110/75 m)

Tunnel underneath main shipping lane

transition islands

Project organisation

– Client: HZMB Authority, consisting of:

• Ministry of Communication China (“Public Works”)

• Guandong Province

• Government of Hongkong

• Government of Macao

– Client consultant STTG JV

• Lead consultant / Bridges SMEDI (China)

• Tunnels / Artificial Islands TEC (The Netherlands)

• Bridges TY Lin (USA)

• Tunnels (local input) GMDI (China)

Task of Client consultant:

Design Review / Tender documents / Independent Parallel Analyses

Project organisation

– Designer :

• General / Lead designer HPDI (China)

• Bridges HPDI / Arup

• Immersed tunnel HPDI / COWI;

• C&C tunnel / Approaches STEDI (China);

• M&E HPDI

• Artificial islands 1st / 4th Harbor DI (China)

– Contractor :

• General / Lead contractor CCCC (China)

TEC company profile

• Permanent joint venture of:

• Started with immersed tunneling Dutch river

crossings

• Later specialized in soft soil bored tunneling

• Involved in 80% of the immersed tunnel

projects worldwide (since 1990’s)

• Presently active in submerged floating tunnel

research and design

Amsterdam new underground metro line

Various immersed tunnel projects

23 november 2017 23Bouwen in stijgend water

Hong Kong Zhuhai Macau Bridge China

Transition islands

Artificial islands and cut&cover tunnels

• Main dimensions

– Tunnel + approaches 163m(C&C)+382m(Open)

– Length islands app. 625 m

Island concepts

• Construction time (related to immersion)

• Weak soils on seadbed

Island concept design

• Tekst

• Tekst

Assembly at steel factory in Shanghai

Transport steel tubes

• Diameter 20 m, heigth 40 m

• Transport per ship from Shanghai

Arrival on site

• Tekst

• Tekst

Installation of tubes

• Installed in sea bed using 8 coupled

vibration blocks

Filling of tubes and installation of connection

elements

Tubes installed

ground improvement around island

Filling of the island and excavation of

receiving pit

Piled foundation of cut & cover tunnel

Cut & Cover tunnel under construction

• Tekst

• Tekst

Cut & Cover tunnel under construction

Structural section for connection with first

tunnel element

After removal of steel tube wall

East island and Cut & Cover tunnel under

construction

East island nearing completion

including control & operations building

23 november 2017 41Bouwen in stijgend water

Hong Kong Zhuhai Macau Bridge China

Immersed tunnel

Immersed Tunnel

• Tunnel length 6.8 km

• 2 x 3 lanes (38 x 11.4m)

• Immersed part 5.7km

• 33 elements (180/110/90 m) – 75.000 tons

• Tunnel roof 30 m under sea level

• Future deepening of channel for 300.000 tons

ships (until then 20 m ground cover)

Construction sequence (concreting afloat)

1.) Casting basin 2.) Steel box assemblage

3.) Transport 4.) High fluidity concrete placing works

Japan t

raditio

ns

3. Full Sandwich(Replace all rebar by steel shell)

Japan t

raditio

ns

• Naha port tunnel, Japan

Traditional construction method

• Concrete tunnel elements

• Constructed in temporary dock / polder

Construction site tunnel elements

• Guishan Island at approx. 10 km from project location

• Factory based construction method

‘Modern’ element production facility

• First applied for Oresund link (Sweden-Denmark)

• Picture HZMB facility

1. Assembly reinforcement cage

2. Casting

3. Concrete factory

4. Stock

5. Undeep part basin

6. Deep part basin

7. Floating dock gate

8. Sliding door

9. Supply materials

12

3

4

5

6

7

98

Overview production facility

Factory hall under construction

(formwork in foreground)

Assembly of reinforcement cage – phase 1

Sliding of reinforcement cage to phase 2

Assembly of reinforcement cage – phase 2

Assembly of reinforcement cage – phase 3

Full section casting

• After sliding reinforcement cage to casting location

and after installation of formwork

Removal of formwork

Tunnel pushed to undeep basin

Dock flooded to move elements to deep part

Tunnel elements in deep part of basin

Fitting out for transport to construction site

Towing out of tunnel element

Transport of tunnel element

Positioning of tunnel element

Immersion operation

25

m

Closure Joint

• Located between E29 and E30

• Prefabricated and installed in one piece

• Steel shell- concrete combined structure

• Approx. 6,100 tons

• Hoisted and installed with specialized vessel

Steel shell-concrete combined closure joint

Hoisted and installed by 12,000 ton capacity

all direction rotation floating crane vessel

Closure joint installation

Fitting out of the tunnel

Summary of project achievements

• Chinese – European cooperation and knowledge

building / exchange

• Island construction incl. wall

• Variety of soil improvement and foundation techniques

• Huge differences in tunnel soil coverage and semi

rigid section couplings

23 november 2017 70Bouwen in stijgend water

Thank you for your attention